The Beauty Within
by DutchShadow
Summary: Three generations after Edward returns to his manor, Kim Bogg's grandaughter becomes interested in the place. When she decided to explore the forgotten mansion, she finds more than just a man inside...
1. A Shot in the Dark

Authors Note: Some characters names, and places have been altered to better fit with my story line. Most things will remain the same though. Thanks for understanding and happy reading!

CHAPTER 1

Melody awoke with a start. Once again her thoughts had been riddled with dark shadows, and strange figures. She turned to glance at the glowing green numbers on her alarm clock. Five-thirty AM. What was the point of going back to sleep? She would just have to get back up again in a half-hour. She groaned miserably. Today was Friday...that meant it was also the day of her Human Anatomy test. Of course she hadn't studied. To be honest she found the structure, and overall appearance of humans to be quite unsightly. Especially the girls with the supermodel bodies and perfect pouty faces, not to mention the guys with "super jock" fibers. It wasn't so much their outward appearance, as their inner attitude. They were attractive and boy did they know it. Not only did they know it, they flaunted it! They were the teacher's pet, the preppy populars, that straight A student that only earned the grades by flirting or sleeping with the teachers. They were uncaring dunderheads, jammed undeservingly into a radiant body. I guess you can't both brains and brawn though.

Melody's mother, Jody had always told her daughter she was beautiful, but most of the time Melody didn't believe it. She knew what she was. She was a tortured artist, screaming inside. She wanted out of this hellhole, out of suburbia where the sun only shines on the perfect people. And that...that was another thing that bothered her. Everyone here was the identical replica of everyone else. Same routines, same smiles, same gossip, same yards, same styles, same morals, everything was the same...except her.

Jody worried herself into a right state over her daughter's oddities. What would the nieghbors think? When next-door sent little Susie out in a darling pink jumper, Melody appeared in her black on white color scheme. Suburbia was home of the pastels and pleasantries. Melody dwelled in her own dreary thoughts.

While other highschoolers went to football games and parties, Melody sat alone in her room with her canvases, paints and charcoals. She didn't have many friends, and those she made were soon lost. But it didn't bring her unhappiness like her parents assumed, she felt secure in her solitude.

The seventeen-year-old shook her head, to rid the sleep. She turned on her bedside lamp and sat up in bed. She could have gotten out her books and studied for that Science test, but her mind wasn't up for it. Instead, she placed her feet on the cold wooden floor and tiptoed across her room. She made a swift stop to adjust the temperature, and the settled onto the windowside bench, equipped with pillows and cushions. Her smoky blue eyes gazed out into the frosty night. It was November and though the temperature was frigid enough, no snow fell to the Earth.

The last time Melody remembered seeing snow was when she was nine years old. The year after, when her Grandma Kim died, saw neither snow, nor the year following or ever afterward. She closed her eyelids over her misty eyes, and remembered back. Back, eight years ago....

_Tell me again Grandma, who sends the snow?_

_"Why Edward does dear...you know the story, as long as the snow comes each year, I know he's still there."_

She opened her eyes again and sighed. She missed Grandma Kim more than ever, those cold dreary nights. She shifted her gaze to the north where the looming silhouette of a dark and gloomy manor stood shrouded in a haunting feeling of remorse. Melody knew that her grandmother's stories were not true. She had only took advantage of the mysterious crumbling fortress to make up romantic fairytales to intrigue her granddaughters imagination. Maybe Edward's legend had died with her grandmother's young-hearted faith. Maybe faith was what really brought the snow. Though she denied it to herself in mind and thought, somewhere deep within her heart, Melody still believed in her grandmother's story. So many times she had laughed and danced in the snow with Grandma Kim...how could such a wonderful feeling hold no truth? Still even if her grandmother's fables held any truth, anyone that had lived up there that long would have perished by now.

But her mind swept the childish stardust away. _I'm going to fail Human Anatomy._ Melody thought. It wasn't in the character of this town to fail at something.

Though it was still dark outside, Melody began to get ready for school. She took a quick shower, and dried her hair. Back in her bedroom, she stared at herself in the large antique mirror. She had her Grandma's face and slender figure, her fathers deep blue eyes, and her mothers raven hair. But unlike most girls her age (to her mother's dismay) Melody chose to wear her hair in a short choppy cut, with one side of her bangs falling like a veil over her left eye. The rest of her ebony hair flew up in feathery wisps.

She often noticed a couple of spiteful, longing looks in the other girls eyes as they observed her edgy, funky crop. But they were to family oriented and common to make that kind of change to their identical, long, flowing locks. The cut framed her face beautifully, though she couldn't see it. Even though her mother felt slightly embarrassed of the rebellious do', inside she secretly smiled. Such a lovely young woman her daughter had become.

She chose a thin material, white skirt from her wardrobe, a soft black tank, and her charcoal gray jacket to wear. It was only six-o-five a.m., but she grabbed up her shoulder strap book satchel, and quietly made her way out the back door.

Melody slipped past the side of the pale blue house and crossed the front lawn. It was a dim blackish gray outside, and the chill bit seeped down to her bones...she liked the feeling. The grass, hard from frost crunched beneath her shoes. The ember streetlights cast a yellowed glow onto the sidewalks. It was a strange feeling walking the pavement.

She would often walk herself to school instead of riding with her mother, but never this early. She noticed again the foreboding mansion, before she turned. As she was making her way towards Griffin County High School, she felt suddenly disturbed. She didn't like having her back towards the manor. It felt almost as if it was...well..._watching her_. She stopped and turned around to return its gaze.

An abrupt impulse flicked across her mind. She had always gazed at that haunting estate, wondering what it withheld, but never once had she actually thought of finding out for herself. There was no knowledge of who had built it or when it was established because the people of this town didn't shine light on anything different or unique...in fact, Melody hypothesized, they probably didn't even know it was there.

A strange sort of beckon seemed to call out to her, possibly curiosity. She began to inquire what magnificent antiques could be found beyond the mysterious, faded stone walls. She checked her watch, six-fifteen. Biting her lip, she looked towards her house. _Lights are still off, everyone's asleep._ She observed neighboring houses, all the same, suburbia was still asleep. She drew in a deep icy breath. _What the hell? I have no friends to meet, a test to flunk and general torment waiting for me all day. _Melody thought to herself. _Maybe I'll be a badass and skip out...yeah, I don't have to put up with those close minded jerks. Maybe Melody will have herself a three-day weekend instead out two. _Mind made up, She folded her arms across her chest, changed directions, and began to very swiftly, make her way towards the shrouded manor.

NOTE: So I hope you enjoyed this fanfic of mine. I promise it will only get better. Chapter two is nearly completed. Whether it goes up or not is entirely up to you. If I find that you are enjoying it I will be obliged to accommodate you, by frequently adding to its chapters, until my story has reached its end. If you don't like it however, I see no point in wasting time finishing it. Well hope you liked it!


	2. The Forgotten Manor

.:CHAPTER 2:. INSIDE THE MANOR

The climb up to the castle was a severely steep one. Melody hated to think what might happen if she were to topple down the rocky descent.

About three fourths of the way up, she took off her bag and sat down on a large, worn away rock to catch her breath. The icy fall air pierced her lungs as she took it in deep breaths. It seemed a long time had passed, yet the sky was as dark as ever. It had been all she could do to feel and stumble her way this far. She pressed a button on her watch. A bright turquoise light illuminated the miniature numbers. Seven-o-three...hmmm....that was odd. The sun usually would have rose twenty or twenty five minutes ago.

The castle had always seemed more so curtained in dimness than Griffin County, but it had never appeared completely lacking of all light. She tried to look down into her hometown but masses of trees surrounded her, as well as large boulders and jagged rocks. She looked up at the ashen sky, dark-foreboding clouds furled swiftly within each other.

An abrupt roll of booming thunder suddenly lit up the dark clouds, and echoed across the sky. Melody gave a terrible jolt. She had always loved storms. But up here, all alone....it seemed as if demons from hell were terrorizing the sky. Now her rebellious pioneering trip didn't seem so great. She thought of trying to make it back down before the storm came in hard, but it was a much longer way than her destination, and if she were to stumble and fall downward in this billowing darkness, the results could be perilous. Groping at her neck, her hand found the necklace her grandmother Kim had given her as a child. It always gave her a feeling of comfort and love when she found none elsewhere. She held the small dove crafted from mother of pearl that dangled from a delicate silver chain.

A crack of white lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating for a moment the dreary trees and jagged rocks. _Why did I ever come to this place?_ She wondered. An icy wind began to whisper through the trees, and tiny rain droplets began to sprinkle the soil. Judging by the clouds she knew that the rain would turn into a torrent any moment. As much as her will resented it, she would have to wait out the storm in that forlorn fortress. If she hadn't been shivering so violently she might have cried.

Gathering her bag, and ignoring her inner voice, Melody picked her way as carefully as possible upward. She quickened her pace as another bolt of lightning flickered in the darkness. _What if I get struck by lightning up here? No one would ever find me. _She shook her head. There was no point in scaring herself even more, this idea had already turned to the worst.

After what seemed a short eternity, she found herself before the towering citadel. She could scarcely make out the water stains on the massive stone walls. Why was she so afraid of an abandoned manor? She knew nothing was in there, but whole structure didn't seem welcoming in the least. She tilted her head back, to see as far as possible...a chill of fear suddenly raced down her spine. She had seen something pallid reflected in a window far above.

_NO! _She had to cease tormenting herself with horrific imaginings. Shaking her nonsense from her head, she sprinted to the heavy wooden doors, soaken and rotting, and heaved one forward, slipping into utter darkness.

.....Silence...utter silence. Exactly what should be expected of a crumbling castle. and total. Melody felt her way along the wall into what was a slightly more illuminated large room...a sort of study room. Dusty, forgotten volumes kept the lofty bookcases. Melody had always loved to read, and was curious as to what she would find in a place this aged. She crossed the musty floor, leaving obvious foot imprints behind her.

A very sudden, and incredibly loud _crreeek, _brought her to an abrupt halt... it was just the wooden floorboards. But the terrible echoes it made in the untouched room gave an extra sense of caution. Running a tentative hand through her hair, she reached up and dusted the spine of a moth-eaten tome. Eyes squinting, she read the title, _The Theories of Reincarnation._ Wow, she thought, what kind of abnormality lived here? She scanned the rest of that particular shelf, and noticed that one book was missing.

Finally tearing herself from the olden volumes, Melody opened an adjoining door that lead into one of the most magnificent spectacles she had ever encountered. It was a large dining hall, furnished with a magnificent lion clawed oak table. Taking an educated guess, she estimated it could seat nearly thirty people. But an odd assemetry met her eyes...only two high backed chairs were put in place before the dining table, both of them situated at the end, side by side. _How odd..._she thought to herself. Romantic visions of a young woman and her courteous, handsome lover, living only among themselves, danced through her thoughts. At seventeen years of age, Melody was often inclined to puerile fantasies of romance.

Her dreamlike state was averted by another magnificent sight. A grand fireplace took up an immense portion of the back wall, with brilliant stone beasts carved among its borders. This room also was dusty and forlorn in appearance. Dust covered the table and floors, and old ashes lay cold and fixed within the rather foreboding black chamber of the immense hearth. She moved through the room to continue her exploration, now desperately hungry to uncover this manor's long lost history.

Across the dining hall she found a strange shaped, ebony door. It didn't seem to fit. When she turned the brass handle it gave a teeth gritting, rusty screech. With a bit of heavy effort, Melody coaxed the hefty door ajar a bit, but had to hold it in place. The space was just enough so that she could squeeze through. But she stopped. She looked into a complete abyss of raven darkness. It seemed to be a hallway or passage of some sort, as there were no windows to allow any moonlight within. Though she could see nothing, it held an unearthly, eerie air. She turned her head to look up at the elevated gothic windows of the dining hall. The rain was now coming in torrents, and lightning flickered warningly. _Well...it's not like I've got anywhere else to go... _With that, she slipped inside the entrance and into the darkness.

When she let go of the door, it slammed shut from its own weight. Like a blind child, Melody felt around for the handle...but there was not one on this side. A wave of panic washed over her, and her breathing became irregular. _Why must I be such a fool!? _She said aloud desperately. Finding no means of return to the other side, she began timidly moving down the long, light-less passage.

Hours later, or so it seemed, she came to an end of the hallway. Putting her hands before her, she delightedly located a knob, which she immediately turned with unexpected ease, and directly after, fell into a small, cluttered room.

Slowly picking herself up, she brushed the dust from her skirt and blouse, and gave a few small coughs. Her eyes began to sensitively adjust to the new source of dim, but visible light. It was a workroom. A small desk sat before her, located in the middle of the study. Many record books and journals lay upon it, with pieces of thin, delicate parchment scattered everywhere. She paced to the front of the desk and ran her hand over a time worn, leather bound journal. The dust smeared away revealing a dulled cover. _Maybe I can find answers in here _Melody thought excitedly. Heart speeding up a bit, the front cover crackled as she pulled it back. What he found within was not at all what she had expected. She gave a silent gasp as she was met with horrific drawings and small scratchy notes among the pages. Illustrations of mutilated beings and human body fragments littered the parchment. Vexed by these sketches, she felt a need to examine its entirety. And when she finally came to the last page recorded upon, she read, " Only hands left."

She shut the book slowly, and what she saw next startled her. Shredded. Along the back wall of the room were long lines of gray, torn wallpaper, which gave the aspect of a wild beast, gone mad. Questioning her own bravery, she slowly moved towards the marks, and ran her fingers softly across the scratched surface. A sudden burst of pained emotions were transferred into her. She shut her eyes, jerking her hand back. What she had felt in her mind was terrible. Pain, love, death, it was too much to take in all at once. Never had she felt such dread. She stared at the marks on the wall, in terrible confusion. What could cause such horror? Something else caught her eye abruptly. Leaning in a bit, her blue eyes widened. What appeared to be dried, ancient blood lined the abrasions. _What happened here?_ Melody wondered to herself, shivering. The cold feeling of loneliness creeped into her bones and settled. As a reflex, she reached up and touched her necklace. All was deathly silent.

She had to get out of there....but she couldn't go back the other way, down the passage. She had noticed yet another door earlier, so she pulled it open to see what awaited her in the next chamber.

A small dark stairwell. It wound up, and up, and up farther than she could see. She began to get dizzy as she slowly progressed upward. She felt terribly tired, drained to the core.

_This must lead to the very top of the manor._ It seemed to grow colder the further she climbed. Her lips turned a bluish hue and her entire body quaked from shivering. She couldn't see how going up would help her get out, but she hadn't seen any other way, so up she kept on.

Finally she reached a roughly assembled wooden door, or something similar to one anyway. It was cracked slightly open, and was barely swaying, as if by wind. She could feel a frigid breeze slipping through that touched her pale cheek. _There must be an open window, _she speculated. She peeked through the opening, and was met by sparkling beauty. Gaping in awe, she pushed the hinged door aside and took in the dazzling spectacle.

Beautiful ice sculptures were jumbled together on one wall of the frostbitten room. The arctic chill was sweeping in through a shattered window on the other side of what appeared to be a wide roomy loft. That side was completely dark and grim to the eye. But the other side was filled with all representations of beauty. The heavenly sculptures were of dancing angels, twirling in gowns, elegant deer prancing in the night, and innocent swans spreading their feathered wings. She was captured in pure wonder, when she heard the sound of movement from the other side.

Melody spun around startled. She had always liked bats, but not when the spooked you so suddenly. She strained to catch a glimpse of it in the darkness, but to no avail. She waited a few moments and was about to turn back around, when she saw it ... pain, love, death....now she knew what could cause such horror.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Well I hope you liked the second chapter. If you did, I PROMISE you will absolutely LOVE the next one. So tell me if you have enjoyed this read, if so I will swiftly post the follow up. Happy reading!!!


	3. Forsaken Eyes

.: CHAPTER 3:. FORSAKEN EYES

Authors note: I hope you are enjoying this story so far, I am striving to accomidate your requests for following chapters as quickly as possible without faltering in the quality of my writing. As a side note, I would just like to state that I am not involved in any way with the production, or people involved with the movie Edward Scissorhands. Just thought I would add that little disclaimer. Happy reading!

A person...no... a man. Melody's breath caught in her throat, gagging and choking her. This person...this man, was half concealed by the shadows, but she could see enough to cause her to tremble at the knees. She saw his pale, gaunt face leering at her. The deep sunken eyes were that of a corpse. Gray lips were pulled in tight across the bones of his skull. She wanted to scream but could not. Instead, thinking twice...she dared, " I am truly s-sorry sir, for my intrusion, but I w-was seeking shelter from the storm." She whispered carefully. She dared even further, " Is...is this your home sir? Because I-"

Her words cut off. Her blue eyes widened in terror. The shadowed figure had taken a small step forward. A stray beam of ivory moonlight had found it's way through the shattered window, and had fallen upon steel blades. She didn't bother to count, but knew he had a few. "Oh God no!" She stifled in panic. _He has knives! He must have heard me coming up the stairs! _She thought, tears beginning to trickle down her pale cheeks.

The being took a few small steps in further advance. Melody's heart stopped for a beat or two. This was no man, but some deformed creature of hell, she was sure. Blades of cold steel shot from where his hands should have resided. She let out a choked sob, " Please don't kill me! Plea..se" She prayed he would stop in moving nearer. She closed her eyes, fearing the very sight of him. She sunk to the floor, limbs failing her. _Lord have mercy on my soul, for whatever reason I have deserved to encounter the devils henchman. _She repeated in her head over and over again, until...She felt the ice. The cold dagger of death. She couldn't bear to part her lashes. Death would come soon, and she prayed it to be swift......But it did not come.

The frigid blade touched her cheek gently, yet it was so dangerously sharp, it threatened to bite into her skin. Slowly she felt the demons ice travel to her chin, then drew carefully down her throat, and finally it came to a stop at her breast. It rested there a moment and then she felt it lift away, followed by a tiny tug. Braving a peek, she parted her veils, and saw her grandmother's necklace held by a glinting blade. Overwhelming fear was struck back into her heart. But this time her limbs responded to her beckon.

In a pure mad rush of panic, she mindlessly leapt backwards and scrambled to her feet. She did not notice the small _snap_ of the pearl dove pendant breaking from around her slender neck. The man, who had been leaning over, righted himself, the silver chain dangling from one of his blades. He took a step towards Melody reaching out a scalpeled hand, in attempt to sedate her sudden dash. Their eyes met but a moment. Hers, mysterious and blue, he saw the tearstains. His, dark and dreary, she ignored the pain within them. All she could think about was escaping. She ran to the wooden door, and shoved it open. But she had applied all too much force in her hysteria to the little door, which easily gave way to but a little pressure. Melody felt her stomach flip, as she was suspended in air for a moment. Caught off her balance she gave a soft piteous cry as she tumbled down the entire set of winding metal stairs, and finally came to a motionless halt at the bottom.

Somewhere in this long fall, we cannot be sure, as it was indeed a _long _fall, Melody had struck her head and was knocked unconscious. Her petite body lay in an uncomfortable crumple at the bottom of the stairs, bruised and immobile. The fall itself must have been down about a hundred or so stairs give or take a little. And somewhere upon them was that appalling man, making his way awkwardly, but swiftly down.

Darkness...._groan_....Melody came back into her own mind. She was aching all over. She tried to open her eyes, but even that hurt. She had no memory of where she was at that particular moment, but if she could have guessed she might have thought she had been in a serious accident and was in a hospital somewhere. She tried to move, but the shoulder on which she was laying gave a sharp, painful twinge that made her issue a low whimper.

_"Be still"_, an amiable, yet sorrowful voice offered softly. Melody didn't recognize the voice, but it was a nice one, and it calmed her. She tried once again to open her eyes. Her head ached in pain, but she managed to slowly blink, and open her eyes. It felt as if someone had taken a club and beaten every inch of her body. She groaned once more, but succeeded in lifting her head up a bit. She squinted into the darkness, and then at the figure who sat on the floor, looming over her...so close. All of the morning's memories rushed back into her head with a sudden jolt. She began to hyperventilate. Struggling against her body she was able to push her upper frame upward using her arms, though it tormented her limbs.

The gaunt corpse like creature beside her started, and leaned towards her. _"You must not move. You fell, so far."_ She jerked away. She did not notice, did not want to see the look of concern in his eyes or hear it in his voice. "Please, just let me out, don't kill me please." She sobbed. The man shrunk back, giving her way to exit the door. She cried out inside her mind as she fought to her feet. Stumbling like a sedated animal, she limped in torture as quickly as possible out of the door. _"Go then". _She heard the creature say as she stumbled out of his presence.

As she made her way tenderly through the mansion, she had the feeling he was watching her the entire time. She took a different route as she couldn't exit through the hallway, and was accompanied by her tears of both pain and fear. She managed to find her path out of the manor by taking a different passage, and clinging to shelves and other protruding objects to support herself.

Once outside in the generously lighter rain, she was able to breathe almost normally. The shadow of the crumbling mansion still haunted her steps, but she weakly made her way down the steep rocky pass without fear of _his _presence.

Though the rain had lightened, by the time she reached home, she was soaked to the skin. When she opened the door, she found her mother waiting for her. "Where on God's earth have you been! I was worried sick, you were supposed to be home hours ago! What were you thin-Good heavens! What happened?!"

Melody looked up. "What?"

Her mother touched her face, _ow_, "Your eye! It's all grayish and bruised!...Did you get in a fight?"

"Uh, yeah mom...just leave me alone for now okay."

Jody looked hurt, but Melody ignored it. She had too much to think about right now to put up with her mother's frenzy of bickering. Skulking into her room, she slammed the door, and went to her bed.

An hour later found Melody propped up one her pillows with her drawing tablet on her knees, and charcoal pencils at hand. She always liked to sit in bed and draw after traumatic events to ease her mind. She had retrieved her utensils with mind to draw something pleasant, but found herself staring at sunken charcoal eyes...._his eyes_. As she drew she noticed something odd about the sketches. Instead of dangerous, murderous facial expressions, she had put sorrow and pain into his deeply darkened eyes.

Now that the terror had drained from her veins, she looked back, and thought she had seen something different than her first frantic interpretations in his forlorn orbs. But even with those morose eyes, she still felt a little chill as she stared at her artwork. As always when sad, scared or distressed, she reached up for the comfort of her necklace...but not as always, it wasn't there. Melody gasped, feeling all around her neck, but it was indeed gone. And she unfortunately knew exactly where it was. The small snap of her breaking necklace that she had not heard earlier, now echoed on the walls of her brain. _He has my necklace. _She thought in dismay. She got up from the comfort of her bed, and walked to the window, and sat down upon the bench, resting her sore shoulder tenderly on a pillow behind her. Willing herself to do so, she looked up at the manor, and where she imagined his window would be. The darkness had swallowed the manor, but its haunting outline still remained.

Melody pulled her sweater closer to her. The loss of her grandmother's necklace brought her great sadness, but what could she do about it now? Some crazed, deformed madman was now residing up there, and would kill her if she returned......or would he?

There had been something very human, and almost - _kind_ in his black orbs. Now that she thought about it in the safety of her room, he had never actually attempted to harm her in any way. She remembered falling down the staircase, and was not accurately sure how long she had lay unmoving, but he had sat with her till she woke.

But the sight of him! It could not compare to anything she had seen in those old horror flicks her parents wished she wouldn't watch. She stared hard back up at the manor. _I must get grandmothers necklace back. _She thought determinedly.

The small outline of her slender face could be seen in the warm, heavenly glow of her bedroom window. She was so beautiful and innocent. And he had frightened her so badly. Woe was he, the man with scissor hands. He had for much time knew he would never again see an angel's face look upon him again. That was until today. But she did not want to see him. No, what she saw was a monster. _Is that what I am?_ He thought wearily. He looked down at the silver chain dangling from his scissors. It seemed to glow despite the darkness. And a feeling that had only once skimmed his skin, radiated from the fragile pendant. Love, warmth, family. And another essence resided within this trinket. A spirit of an old acquaintance, a love long passed....Kim. He knew then, that she must be her kin. He had seen the hints in her face, when she had lay still at the base of the stairs. How it pained him to hear her fall. He had scaled the stairs, dreading what sight awaited him at the bottom. But she had been all right, and then she had ran. He looked out the shattered window into the night, and it in turn stared back at him.


End file.
